Category: Fantasy
The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
(Cover picture courtesy of this site I cannot translate.)
Lestat. The vampire hero of Anne Rice’s enthralling novel is a creature of the darkest and richest imagination. Once an aristocrat in the heady days of pre-revolutionary France, now a rock star in the demonic, shimmering 1980s, he rushes through the centuries in search of others like him, seeking answers to the mystery of his eternal, terrifying existence. His is a mesmerizing story—passionate, complex, and thrilling.
If you don’t like slow plots or are in any way sensitive to gore or explicit sex scenes, this book is not for you. But if you can appreciate a slow but compelling narrative filled with fascinating characters, you will appreciate The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is the second book in the Vampire Chronicles, but you don’t have to read Interview with the Vampire to understand it. Anne Rice lets her book stand on its own, but it is interesting to see first Louis’, then Lestat’s different perspectives. Whereas Louis found his vampirism to be a curse, Lestat chose to embrace it, delighting in his newfound power.
I think a big part of why the Vampire Chronicles are so popular is the fact that Anne Rice has created truly memorable characters. If I’m honest with myself, Lestat remains in my mind along with other great characters like Thu, Harry Potter, Katsa and Hamnet. What keeps people coming back for more is her characters, not her slow moving plot or her sensual descriptions, as some reviewers claim. Lestat is not always sympathetic, but he is appealing enough to command your attention.
I can honestly say that once you start reading The Vampire Lestat, you won’t be able to put it down. When I first read it, I stayed up until four in the morning to finish it—although that was partly because the alternative was going to sleep on a concrete floor with nothing but a thin sleeping bag. Still, it is a great book and you’ll have to forgive me for being cliché and describing it as “hypnotic”, because there is no other word for it.
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins
(Cover picture courtesy of Book Infinity.)
With two prophecies fulfilled, Gregor is now focused on the Prophecy of Blood, which calls for Gregor and Boots to return to the Underland to help ward off a plague. But this time, his mother refuses to let him go…until Ripred the rat convinces her that Gregor and Boots need to stay for only a brief meeting. Finally, Gregor’s mom relents, provided she is allowed to travel with them.
When they arrive in the subterranean city, the plague is spreading—and it has claimed one of his closest companions. Only then does Gregor start to understand how the illness plays with the fate of all warmblooded creatures, but he still doesn’t know how he can combat it.
The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins is probably the only series besides Harry Potter that I enjoy more and more as it progresses. Since it is Suzanne Collins’ first series, you can see marked improvements in her writing style, pacing, plot and characterization. Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods is the third book in the series, but it is definitely my favourite out of all five books.
The main reason I love this series so much is the characters. Suzanne Collins has created an unique, memorable main character in Gregor, but it is the secondary characters that I love the most, particularly Hamnet. Hamnet is the son of Vikus and Solovet who ran away from Regalia ten years ago to live in the jungle, but it is his reason for doing so that makes him so compelling. He was once a warrior, but it is the conversation that he has with Vikus that haunts me to this day:
“What do you do here that you could not do there?”
“I do no harm,” said Hamnet. “I do no more harm.” (Ch. 13, pg 161)
When we finally do learn Hamnet’s full backstory, it only cements my picture of him as a tragic hero, much like Lancelot in the Arthurian legends. Suzanne Collins is very gifted at making characters appear cold and hard on the outside, yet highly sympathetic when you learn why they are like that. It is truly her characters that move the plot forward at a fast pace and it is her characters that will keep readers eager to get their hands on the next book—especially with the little plot twist on the last page of this book.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
(Cover picture courtesy of Fairfieldbooks on Kids.)
It began with Eragon…
It ends with Inheritance.
Not so very long ago, Eragon—Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider—was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now, the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.
Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chance.
The Rider and his dragon have come farther than anyone dared to imagine. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?
This is the spellbinding conclusion to Christopher Paolini’s worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.
After three long years of eager anticipation, I finally got my hands on the last book of the Inheritance Cycle. Boy, was I disappointed. I don’t even know where to start, but I think I should start with the worst part of it: the characters.
The characters in this novel have gone way into left field, especially minor characters like King Orrin and Angela. Orrin, who was always supportive of the Varden suddenly becomes a mean, irrational and selfish drunk. I understand that the pressures of war may have made him snap, but Christopher Paolini never showed this huge transition from eccentric to drunk. We see more of Angela and she goes from somewhat dangerous and mysterious to a really mysterious, incredibly dangerous…thing. We never find out what she really is, which makes me think Paolini is going to write a fifth book. In addition to minor characters changing, the main characters become caricatures of their former selves. Roran becomes a city-destroying killing machine that’s completely unrealistic (even for fantasy), Arya does a total 180 near the end of the novel and Eragon becomes a super-powerful magician and warrior to the point of ridiculousness.
This book is over 800 pages long, yet it probably could have been condensed to 500 pages. Christopher Paolini’s descriptions become excruciatingly long, but suddenly trail off with about 100 pages left. The last hundred pages are so poorly written I think that after 13 years of writing the same series, he just wanted to get it over with. Unfortunately, the result is a lot of disappointed fans.
I give this book 0.5/5 stars.
The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron
(Cover picture courtesy of Winter Park Public Library.)
Washed up on the shores of ancient Wales, the boy had no home, no memory and no name…
He was determined to find all three.
Under the wing of the mysterious Branwen, who claims to be his mother, the nameless boy learns the lore of such ancient peoples as the Celts and the Druids. But to discover his identity and the secret of his own powers, he must escape to the mist-shrouded isle of Fincayra, an enchanted land between earth and sky that is being destroyed by blight. With this land’s inhabitants to guide him, the boy will learn that Fincayra’s fate and his own quest are strangely intertwined…
He is destined to become the greatest wizard of all time.
History will name him Merlin…
I’ve always been fascinated by the Arthurian legends and in particular with the mysterious sorcerer, Merlin. And this book is what sparked my fascination.
It’s the Dark Ages in ancient Wales, after the Roman Empire has withdrawn and nothing is truly certain. Emrys lives with Branwen, a woman that claims to be his mother, but because he lost his memory when they washed up on shore five years ago, he does not believe her. But their life together is happy until the people of their small village turn against them and accuse Branwen of witchcraft. This is when Emry’s life changes irrevocably and he sets out on a journey to learn about his past.
I read this book when I was quite young and now that I’ve re-read it, I have gotten a lot more out of it. T. A. Barron intertwines old Arthurian legends with Celtic mythology to create a beautifully written, enchanting story. All of the characters—especially Emrys—are very sympathetic and will definitely hold your attention. The land of Fincayra is very well-developed and it’s where Baron’s wonderful imagination really shines through. For anyone who likes fantasy, this is a worthwhile read.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George
(Cover picture courtesy of the Denton Public Library.)
When a great white bear offers a woodcutter’s daughter untold riches in return for her company, she accepts, believing she has made a wise decision. Even though the lass is offered every luxury at the bear’s castle, she begins to feel like a prisoner. Then, when servants start to disappear, the lass realizes the bear may know more than he will say. Determined to learn the truth, the lass sets out on a windswept journey east of the sun and west of the moon to fight for the man she has only just discovered is her one true love.
The retelling of myths and fairytales seems to be a trend in YA fiction and Jessica Day George has jumped on the bandwagon. But the myth she chooses is not a well known one and she paints a picture of a very foreign culture not many people know about. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow takes place in Norway and retells an old myth from the perspective of an unnamed woodcutter’s daughter.
When I first began reading this book, I was a bit overwhelmed. I would call it sort of a culture shock—I had just finished reading House of Dreams, a novel set in the hot climate of ancient Egypt. Going from the heat of Ramses III’s harem to the cold, snowy land of Norway was a bit difficult, but Jessica Day George’s superb descriptions soon plunged me into the world of the lass.
The lass is a curious character (which almost brings about her downfall), but she is also brave and resourceful. When her prince is stolen from her, she goes to the land east of the sun and west of the moon to save him. To get there, she makes bargains with the four winds, showing her quick thinking. While I am not familiar with the original myth, I recognized many familiar mythological elements, especially near the end as she travels to the land of the trolls. It’s a spellbinding book with an excellent plot and great descriptions.
I give this book 4/5 stars.